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Celestina's House
The secrets of the house are the secrets of the heart.It begins with an act of betrayal.What follows is a wave of malas that destroys the tenuous bonds of Celestina Errantes’s family. For years, she longs to escape her unhappy home, until an unexpected gift from her wealthy Lolo offers a chance at escape. A long-forsaken and haunted property in Manila’s bohemian district, close to where the “low-flying doves” ply their trade. It is no place for a proper young lady, but the house makes Celestina feel at home.Celestina tears into life as a wild child and loses herself in the pleasures of the night. Many life lessons later, she grows up. She captivates an aristocratic restaurateur who promises a new life, in a home without ghosts. Then a voice from the past brings sinister whispers, threatening to drive them apart forever. Can Celestina confront the evil in her house and pull love out of the fire?A RARE MACHINES BOOK
320 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2024
8 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez
2 books6 followersClarissa Trinidad Gonzalez was born and raised in Manila, where she grew up steeped in her family’s colourful personalities and stranger-than-fiction stories.
She worked in the advertising industry, honing her craft as a copywriter, and later became Associate Creative Director. She spent a good part of her twenties trekking around the Philippines, sampling regional food, and experiencing the joie de vivre and hospitality of her fellow Filipinos from Batanes to Mindanao.
She moved to Canada in the mid-nineties and worked as a technical designer for a Canadian retailer. She now works as a communications professional. She studied creative writing at the University of Toronto and published some poetry in Variety Crossing journal, as well as online publications.
When she’s not writing, she likes to keep the memories of Philippine kitchens alive in her home in South Etobicoke, where she cocoons with her spouse and daughter as they plot their next family adventure.
She worked in the advertising industry, honing her craft as a copywriter, and later became Associate Creative Director. She spent a good part of her twenties trekking around the Philippines, sampling regional food, and experiencing the joie de vivre and hospitality of her fellow Filipinos from Batanes to Mindanao.
She moved to Canada in the mid-nineties and worked as a technical designer for a Canadian retailer. She now works as a communications professional. She studied creative writing at the University of Toronto and published some poetry in Variety Crossing journal, as well as online publications.
When she’s not writing, she likes to keep the memories of Philippine kitchens alive in her home in South Etobicoke, where she cocoons with her spouse and daughter as they plot their next family adventure.
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September 26, 2024NO RATING/DNF/CONTENT WARNING
I was so excited to read this book. My hold finally came up on Libby and I jumped right into it. A quarter of the way through, I am choosing to walk away due to the grooming and eventual incestual SA of the main character as a child by her father.
I wish this were handled off the page. Maybe Celestina could reflect back on what happened to her during childhood or Celestina and Stella could have a conversation about it--anything but 25% of the book being this uncomfortable exploitation. Ugh, I wish I could scrub the ick from my brain. It's weird that a lot of the glowing reviews don't even mention it--it's a quarter of the book! The whole beginning.
I was so excited to read this book. My hold finally came up on Libby and I jumped right into it. A quarter of the way through, I am choosing to walk away due to the grooming and eventual incestual SA of the main character as a child by her father.
I wish this were handled off the page. Maybe Celestina could reflect back on what happened to her during childhood or Celestina and Stella could have a conversation about it--anything but 25% of the book being this uncomfortable exploitation. Ugh, I wish I could scrub the ick from my brain. It's weird that a lot of the glowing reviews don't even mention it--it's a quarter of the book! The whole beginning.
May 21, 2024
A total CRINGE and disaster whatever this was. First of all, the writing clearly indicated that this was a debut novel, as there were several unnecessary factors, plot holes, and a lack of character development. The dialogues were quite script-like, and most of it made little sense because it didn't sound real as no one talks like that in real life. However, the use of Tagalog language was quite natural; it did not appear forced, which is a good thing.
I did not see the importance of adding that storyline of Celestina and her father. It did not contribute to the story and it could progress without that. That made me uncomfortable and even more so when the author glossed over it. Adding that piece of story without delving into it is just insensitive and reckless. The sex scenes are uncomfortable to read, too. I just felt like as the story progresses, Celestina gets more and more objectified. It seemed like her lovers only wanted her because of her appearances and they did not look way past that. The lack of dealing about this kind of social issue from the author is a disappointment.
Though I am aware that not every story should have likable characters, the characters in this book made me infuriated. All of them are flat, they lack depth and have no personalities. There are so many unnecessary background details about the side-characters who are mostly irrelevant for the progression of the story as they do not really contribute to the plot.
I also did not know what I have read here. The story feels empty; I did not know what I was supposed to learn about this book. What is it about Celestina’s house that seemed intriguing? I wish there were more flashbacks about Aunt Selena because that will make us, readers, become aware and know what and why the house is gripping with malas.
Sadly, this book was an utter disappointment. I could not really vibe into it and was thinking to dnf. At first it was really intriguing, but then the house soon became a background story when it was supposed to be an integral part of the plot. It is said that the house is full of malas that would manifest later into Celestina’s life, but Celestina is full of malas her whole life. I really feel like the whole story did not make any sense at all. It is confusing and messy and because of that, I really could not get into it.
thank you netgalley, dundurn press and clarissa trinidad gonzales for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange of an honest review.
—
pre-read:
i am thrilled when i received this arc because i realized that i have not read much from filipino authors yet and my goal this year is to read a lot of it. i hope i enjoy this! (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ
I did not see the importance of adding that storyline of Celestina and her father. It did not contribute to the story and it could progress without that. That made me uncomfortable and even more so when the author glossed over it. Adding that piece of story without delving into it is just insensitive and reckless. The sex scenes are uncomfortable to read, too. I just felt like as the story progresses, Celestina gets more and more objectified. It seemed like her lovers only wanted her because of her appearances and they did not look way past that. The lack of dealing about this kind of social issue from the author is a disappointment.
Though I am aware that not every story should have likable characters, the characters in this book made me infuriated. All of them are flat, they lack depth and have no personalities. There are so many unnecessary background details about the side-characters who are mostly irrelevant for the progression of the story as they do not really contribute to the plot.
I also did not know what I have read here. The story feels empty; I did not know what I was supposed to learn about this book. What is it about Celestina’s house that seemed intriguing? I wish there were more flashbacks about Aunt Selena because that will make us, readers, become aware and know what and why the house is gripping with malas.
Sadly, this book was an utter disappointment. I could not really vibe into it and was thinking to dnf. At first it was really intriguing, but then the house soon became a background story when it was supposed to be an integral part of the plot. It is said that the house is full of malas that would manifest later into Celestina’s life, but Celestina is full of malas her whole life. I really feel like the whole story did not make any sense at all. It is confusing and messy and because of that, I really could not get into it.
thank you netgalley, dundurn press and clarissa trinidad gonzales for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange of an honest review.
—
pre-read:
i am thrilled when i received this arc because i realized that i have not read much from filipino authors yet and my goal this year is to read a lot of it. i hope i enjoy this! (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ
May 14, 2024
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
sad to report that this was genuinely one of the worst novels i have read in a long time. i will try to be less scathing in this review but i can't promise good structure or flow in this, considering the author did not.
first off, i need to get the most uncomfortable aspect of this novel off my chest first: Celestina's relationship with her father. i did not like the development nor did i feel like the narration of minor, passing characters regarding their relationship as necessary. we were introduced to so many characters and get to read from their perspectives throughout the novel, but for what reason? it did not add to the depth of the main characters nor did it provide any insight to the story that was unfolding. reading from some random movie director about Celestina's relationship with her father took us away from the very sensitive and intimate events that were happening. also, i hated the reason of her father's condition, seemingly out of nowhere, no explanation whatsoever. this decision of the author not only justified the behavior of her father by explaining it away as a result of this fantastical element, but it also reduced what happened as a trivial plot device that pushed our main character to develop further, which i hate. what was the reason for all this anyway? if it's a way to drive the character towards developing her identity, then it was a cheap and unnecessary way to do so. i cannot believe this will be published in the year of our lord 2024. maybe this novel has taken years to come together, but surely one can move with the times and idk, find better alternatives to drive the story forward? everything was so poorly escalated, too. the dialogue and narration were so stilted and awkward, which brings me to my next point.
the dialogue is terribly wooden. absolutely nobody talks like that. very pre-2013 teleserye dialogue. ridiculous and soapy. it took me out of the story several times and i got annoyed with the cliché line drops and narrative maneuverings. i thought this would give me something fresh, you know? alas no, the tropes were tired and lazy— yet i would have excused this, and would have taken all this criticism as a bad decision made by debut author, by virtue of Filipino pride and solidarity had the novel been at least well-written... which is unfortunately not the case. is it really difficult to write well? considering it's your job? like first of all, where is the editor? i beg you to reevaluate your decisions. secondly, how did this get approved by so many people? again, reevaluate your decisions and maybe try to reflect on yourself. do not let bias get in the way! finally, is it this easy to get published nowadays when all one has to do is angle with the POC narrative? shouldn't we prioritize obtaining quality work first? i would have loved to celebrate a born and raised Filipino getting published in the West— but not with this quality! where's the magis? in line with the poor dialogue and narration, i want to say my piece about the use of Filipino and Hokkien languages. initially, the incorporation of the Filipino language was exciting to read. i have never before read an English book with as many correctly used Filipino words as there was in this novel, and they were very natural! i could tell that the author spoke the language well and grew up with it. but while i enjoyed reading the Filipino words and being able to understand the context and references being made by the author as only someone who has lived in the country can do so, i beg the author to stay away from trying to write Hokkien. being Filipino-Chinese myself (much like Celestina) this should be checked again by someone. thankfully, the Hokkien was not a lot to warrant much attention from me but i was annoyed nonetheless with the use of my language and context just to “deepen” Celestina's character. i know she's some made-up granddaughter of Henry Sy and you think “oh we should show how Chinese she is” but i would have really preferred the author to stay away from it if she does not have anyone to check this aspect. for example, no Fil-Chi person greets another in the Hokkien translation of "How are you?" because that is the Western way of greeting, which the author should know. i do not know the author's context and how they grew up, but i am quite sure that my current context and lived experiences are closer to that of the main character's, even if she comes from a wealthy family.
so what can be done to improve? i suggest two more years of heavy editing tbh. this is not publication ready. i would have liked a focus on the influence of local myths to the stories because then it would have made sense why the fictional serials of Celestina's father are such a hit. with this emphasis and connection to the characters, it would have meant a lot more for Celestina to take the house that was so haunted by the many spirits that her father writes about. to be honest, the magical realism was so poorly incorporated into this novel. i would have appreciated a more consistent and cohesive approach rather than it being sprinkled around when convenient. this brings me to my next point: the lack of a central theme. how can one write a decent novel without a main theme? why are you even writing this novel? why is this even titled “Celestina's House” when our main character Celestina just prances around Manila and tries to find love? we have lost the main point of the story. i wish we got to explore the house more and focused more on what having her own space means and what this old relic of a house has done to her self-identity, even as it is haunted by spirits of the past. i would have wanted her to develop a deeper connection to the haunted house and how this could have been an avenue for her to heal from her traumas. i would have wanted a focus on the various Filipino superstitions and how it affects everyday rituals and routine. perhaps here, her Chinese identity could have been better inserted, as Fil-Chi have many more superstitions that are centered around fortune, health, and marriage. and now, you can see how this can connect to the old haunted house. but anyway, i am only a reader and this will be published either way. what happened was that the characters move through the book like they're not real. events happened, escalated tackily, and the characters were too passive to make a good story.
so, there is no overarching theme! there was no connection nor cohesion to the narrative. things happen and then we move. have i mentioned how ridiculous the plot escalation was? and how soap opera-like, too: unnecessarily dramatic and unrealistic. dialogue was stiff and narration was clumsy. nothing was done well except the descriptions of Manila, which i applaud— as only someone who has lived here and walked these streets can know what to describe. but then again, the characters read like they were written by a 12 year old, so one-dimensional and nonsensical. actually, the entire story is so poorly written that i am very disappointed in everybody involved in the making of this novel. i'm sorry. if i could give this zero stars i would, but i'll be nice and give this 1 star for the worldbuilding.
sad to report that this was genuinely one of the worst novels i have read in a long time. i will try to be less scathing in this review but i can't promise good structure or flow in this, considering the author did not.
first off, i need to get the most uncomfortable aspect of this novel off my chest first: Celestina's relationship with her father. i did not like the development nor did i feel like the narration of minor, passing characters regarding their relationship as necessary. we were introduced to so many characters and get to read from their perspectives throughout the novel, but for what reason? it did not add to the depth of the main characters nor did it provide any insight to the story that was unfolding. reading from some random movie director about Celestina's relationship with her father took us away from the very sensitive and intimate events that were happening. also, i hated the reason of her father's condition, seemingly out of nowhere, no explanation whatsoever. this decision of the author not only justified the behavior of her father by explaining it away as a result of this fantastical element, but it also reduced what happened as a trivial plot device that pushed our main character to develop further, which i hate. what was the reason for all this anyway? if it's a way to drive the character towards developing her identity, then it was a cheap and unnecessary way to do so. i cannot believe this will be published in the year of our lord 2024. maybe this novel has taken years to come together, but surely one can move with the times and idk, find better alternatives to drive the story forward? everything was so poorly escalated, too. the dialogue and narration were so stilted and awkward, which brings me to my next point.
the dialogue is terribly wooden. absolutely nobody talks like that. very pre-2013 teleserye dialogue. ridiculous and soapy. it took me out of the story several times and i got annoyed with the cliché line drops and narrative maneuverings. i thought this would give me something fresh, you know? alas no, the tropes were tired and lazy— yet i would have excused this, and would have taken all this criticism as a bad decision made by debut author, by virtue of Filipino pride and solidarity had the novel been at least well-written... which is unfortunately not the case. is it really difficult to write well? considering it's your job? like first of all, where is the editor? i beg you to reevaluate your decisions. secondly, how did this get approved by so many people? again, reevaluate your decisions and maybe try to reflect on yourself. do not let bias get in the way! finally, is it this easy to get published nowadays when all one has to do is angle with the POC narrative? shouldn't we prioritize obtaining quality work first? i would have loved to celebrate a born and raised Filipino getting published in the West— but not with this quality! where's the magis? in line with the poor dialogue and narration, i want to say my piece about the use of Filipino and Hokkien languages. initially, the incorporation of the Filipino language was exciting to read. i have never before read an English book with as many correctly used Filipino words as there was in this novel, and they were very natural! i could tell that the author spoke the language well and grew up with it. but while i enjoyed reading the Filipino words and being able to understand the context and references being made by the author as only someone who has lived in the country can do so, i beg the author to stay away from trying to write Hokkien. being Filipino-Chinese myself (much like Celestina) this should be checked again by someone. thankfully, the Hokkien was not a lot to warrant much attention from me but i was annoyed nonetheless with the use of my language and context just to “deepen” Celestina's character. i know she's some made-up granddaughter of Henry Sy and you think “oh we should show how Chinese she is” but i would have really preferred the author to stay away from it if she does not have anyone to check this aspect. for example, no Fil-Chi person greets another in the Hokkien translation of "How are you?" because that is the Western way of greeting, which the author should know. i do not know the author's context and how they grew up, but i am quite sure that my current context and lived experiences are closer to that of the main character's, even if she comes from a wealthy family.
so what can be done to improve? i suggest two more years of heavy editing tbh. this is not publication ready. i would have liked a focus on the influence of local myths to the stories because then it would have made sense why the fictional serials of Celestina's father are such a hit. with this emphasis and connection to the characters, it would have meant a lot more for Celestina to take the house that was so haunted by the many spirits that her father writes about. to be honest, the magical realism was so poorly incorporated into this novel. i would have appreciated a more consistent and cohesive approach rather than it being sprinkled around when convenient. this brings me to my next point: the lack of a central theme. how can one write a decent novel without a main theme? why are you even writing this novel? why is this even titled “Celestina's House” when our main character Celestina just prances around Manila and tries to find love? we have lost the main point of the story. i wish we got to explore the house more and focused more on what having her own space means and what this old relic of a house has done to her self-identity, even as it is haunted by spirits of the past. i would have wanted her to develop a deeper connection to the haunted house and how this could have been an avenue for her to heal from her traumas. i would have wanted a focus on the various Filipino superstitions and how it affects everyday rituals and routine. perhaps here, her Chinese identity could have been better inserted, as Fil-Chi have many more superstitions that are centered around fortune, health, and marriage. and now, you can see how this can connect to the old haunted house. but anyway, i am only a reader and this will be published either way. what happened was that the characters move through the book like they're not real. events happened, escalated tackily, and the characters were too passive to make a good story.
so, there is no overarching theme! there was no connection nor cohesion to the narrative. things happen and then we move. have i mentioned how ridiculous the plot escalation was? and how soap opera-like, too: unnecessarily dramatic and unrealistic. dialogue was stiff and narration was clumsy. nothing was done well except the descriptions of Manila, which i applaud— as only someone who has lived here and walked these streets can know what to describe. but then again, the characters read like they were written by a 12 year old, so one-dimensional and nonsensical. actually, the entire story is so poorly written that i am very disappointed in everybody involved in the making of this novel. i'm sorry. if i could give this zero stars i would, but i'll be nice and give this 1 star for the worldbuilding.
August 20, 2024
Celestina, living in Manila, granddaughter of a very wealthy businessman is the daughter of a disinherited mother and her husband of choice who lacked family approval. Celestina finds herself as the heiress of a home, formerly belonging to an aunt. Malas are in the air. Evil sprits abound. Is the house really haunted? Is there bad juju? Celestina is searching to find love and find herself if she is able to succeed at pleasing the forces that lurk within her walls.
Written by a debut author of Filipino/ Canadian ancestry, this book is chock full of glimpses into life in the Philippines, Manila in particular. There are scrumptious food descriptions amidst a very dark tale that includes incest, illegal abortion, secrets, and even a horrifying pre teen circumcision. .
The story line was a bit uneven in flow and enjoyment level and yet as I stayed with the plot , I found an interesting, provocative, glimpse into a culture and people previously unknown to me. I love books that teach me something.
Three and a half stars rounded to four for a good read. I will look for future works by this promising author. It is being published on October 22, 2024. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. My thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance readers copy in exchange for my review.
September 25, 2024
An atmospheric read set in a country I have not had the pleasure of reading about before. Overall, I enjoyed it but just wish the narrative was a little less choppy.
Thank you Dundurn Reads for the complimentary copy.
Thank you Dundurn Reads for the complimentary copy.
September 2, 2024
This book is tonally WILD, and not in a good way. It is marketed as a Gothic haunted house novel compared to The Hacienda and Mexican Gothic. It starts promising - a derelict house being dismantled - but we then don't get to see the haunted house for about a third of the whole book. Instead, we follow the story of Celestina's family, her mother's defiance of the clan patriarch and marriage for love. Okay, maybe Celestina's House is her dynasty, and the haunting is going to be about the family? Nope, the family is never explored as characters. We get glimpses here and there, but that's it. Instead, the story turns into a tale of parental sexual abuse, exploring Celestina's dad assaulting his daughter (yep, the dad her mom married 'for love'). Okay, so this is a literary drama about sexual assault? Nope, not again. The book does yet another 180, and the promising exploration of what the assault does to Celestina's relationship with her mother is promptly dropped. Now it is Bright Young Things of Manila set in a haunted house. Via a completely underdeveloped story of Celestina's aunt's dalliance with a Japanese officer during WWII, which reads like a Tan Twan Eng novel synopsis. Synopsis, because we get about 10 pages of that story in a 300-page novel. Then, for some reason, the story becomes a love square (yup, a whole three guys are into Celestina) 'worthy' of a third-rate telenovella. We get tons of completely unnecessary backstory into the three guys, even though two of them matter for a whole total of about 5 pages each. I won't even go into the last 'romance' as it is as toxic as the male protagonist is underdeveloped. And yes, the hauntings are sort of there, too, and the main malevolent one is never explained and does not affect the plot in any way beyond abruptly killing off a secondary character.
I guess the sense of place was sort of there. We do get quite a lot of Manila. There were one or two promising ideas somewhere underneath the 197 different novels the author was trying to write at the same time. I wanted to DNF, but sunken investment cost won. It was like watching a train wreck.
Honestly, folks, what have I just read.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I guess the sense of place was sort of there. We do get quite a lot of Manila. There were one or two promising ideas somewhere underneath the 197 different novels the author was trying to write at the same time. I wanted to DNF, but sunken investment cost won. It was like watching a train wreck.
Honestly, folks, what have I just read.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2024
[NetGalley Read #4]
Mixed bag.
The culture, food, places, superstitions, politics and supernatural elements of the Phillipines are written very well.
But the characters, at times, leave something to be desired (with their choices).
It is an easy read, though, despite all the local references and food names.
Mixed bag.
The culture, food, places, superstitions, politics and supernatural elements of the Phillipines are written very well.
But the characters, at times, leave something to be desired (with their choices).
It is an easy read, though, despite all the local references and food names.
September 26, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and Dundrum publishing for a free eARC of "Celestina's House" by Clarisa Trinidad Gonzalez.
I was immediately intrigued to read a debut by a Filipino female writer and the gorgeous cover was love at first sight.
But unfortunately that is the only positive I have about this book, my initial enthusiasm and the cover art.
I wish I could explain my disappointment with more grace, but this book had a father - daughter relationship that was disgusting. I have no other word for it.
Seeing women being objectified is something I sometimes expect from some of the older books written by white male authors, but here it was just pointless and hurtful.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend this work.
I was immediately intrigued to read a debut by a Filipino female writer and the gorgeous cover was love at first sight.
But unfortunately that is the only positive I have about this book, my initial enthusiasm and the cover art.
I wish I could explain my disappointment with more grace, but this book had a father - daughter relationship that was disgusting. I have no other word for it.
Seeing women being objectified is something I sometimes expect from some of the older books written by white male authors, but here it was just pointless and hurtful.
Unfortunately I cannot recommend this work.
April 30, 2024
I am a bit undecided on which category this book should be placed into. However, I found it to be an interesting read. I plan to take my time to digest it fully. I was particularly impressed by author's writing style. One of the best parts of this book is how well the author created the setting and ambiance. The pace of the story is slow, but it's worth staying with it. It's a family drama with well-developed and interesting characters, and it has a bit of a gothic sense to it. I also thought the supernatural aspects of the plot were well done. It's a brilliant debut novel.
Read
July 29, 2024DNF.
Didn't like the writing style or the voice, our MC was kind of a non-entity and the father/daughter 'relationship' had so many icks.
Not for me.
Didn't like the writing style or the voice, our MC was kind of a non-entity and the father/daughter 'relationship' had so many icks.
Not for me.
July 8, 2024
Atmospheric and filled with yearning, this book tells the story of a young woman haunted by her past and the ghosts of her ancestors.
This richly woven world brings the reader into the superstitious, hyper-religious world of the artistic and upper-class Philippines in the 1960's through the 1990's. Celestina is the child of a disinherited heiress who married the rebellious writer who captured her attention in college. Her parents' uneasy love story forms the base of her life, even as it ends in the ultimate betrayal.
When Celestina inherits the gorgeous home where her great-aunt was murdered years earlier, she chooses to move in, making peace with the ghosts who interfere in her life. She enters a bohemian phase of life, splitting the house into apartments that she rents out to friends and diving into nightlife, though she never really feels at peace.
Years later, Celestina struggles to believe herself worthy of love, even as she yearns for it in her relationships with Johnny, the tattooed singer, and Josemaria, the famous restauranter. But the shadow of the past looms over them, bringing darkness into the present.
A bittersweet tale of trauma, forgiveness and a search for belonging and a place to call home.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This richly woven world brings the reader into the superstitious, hyper-religious world of the artistic and upper-class Philippines in the 1960's through the 1990's. Celestina is the child of a disinherited heiress who married the rebellious writer who captured her attention in college. Her parents' uneasy love story forms the base of her life, even as it ends in the ultimate betrayal.
When Celestina inherits the gorgeous home where her great-aunt was murdered years earlier, she chooses to move in, making peace with the ghosts who interfere in her life. She enters a bohemian phase of life, splitting the house into apartments that she rents out to friends and diving into nightlife, though she never really feels at peace.
Years later, Celestina struggles to believe herself worthy of love, even as she yearns for it in her relationships with Johnny, the tattooed singer, and Josemaria, the famous restauranter. But the shadow of the past looms over them, bringing darkness into the present.
A bittersweet tale of trauma, forgiveness and a search for belonging and a place to call home.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2024
Rating this book was tricky mostly because though nicely written, the story wasn’t cohesive and didn’t live up to my expectations of what could have been done with and gained from it.
I’ll start with the positives since there definitely were some. The author’s prose is atmospheric and has a rhythmic, creepy quality that serves the gothic theme well. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Manila were brought to life through consistent ‘show, don’t tell’ technique and the descriptions of Filipino cuisine especially were so vibrant. Gorgeous writing style.
The book immerses you in Filipino life through linguistic, cultural and religious references, weaving them in seamlessly. This is good and I do prefer books not to spoon-feed readers, but a balance could have been struck where significant historical context could have been ingrained to help all readers understand the depth of referenced cultures and beliefs. This doesn’t mean translating everything, but just weaving that essential background in so the reader understands the nuances of, for example, Chinese-Filipino values.
Now for the significant issues. The blurb highlights this house full of secrets and the paranormal, suggesting this will play a important and interesting part in the narrative – this expectation was unfortunately not lived up to. The magical realism aspects of this book had so much potential to engage with and enrich the storyline, but they ended up being on the side of what was essentially just the main character finding a romantic partner.
The book’s engagement with the more disturbing themes also didn't read too well for me. Media can and does explore difficult topics but it requires a lot of care. The characters' interactions with the topic of Celestina's abuse felt bizarre and tone-deaf. This could of course be highlighting how prevalent victim blaming is in society, but the narrative seemed to just take this as a given and little effort was made to indicate how this would negatively impact Celestina. The book being in third-person omniscient perspective could have showcased this well, but did not. Little was shed light on in this regard sadly.
All in all, I think the central issue is that this book lacks cohesiveness and an end goal. It’s titled Celestina’s House, but the house isn’t used to its full potential and Celestina doesn’t really engage meaningfully with or develop alongside it. Characters and plot events come and go, their meaningfulness to the story never realised. What was the significance of Verg being able to see people’s aura/light, why wasn’t this supernatural attribute engaged with beyond occasional mentions? In trying to be too mysterious, the book’s message got lost.
Overall, though a nicely written book with interesting underpinning themes it was executed in a way that honestly left me feeling like I had not read or gained something meaningful. This is nothing against the author as, like I mentioned in the opening, there are things she did really skilfully - the descriptive prose for example.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Celestina's House.
I’ll start with the positives since there definitely were some. The author’s prose is atmospheric and has a rhythmic, creepy quality that serves the gothic theme well. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Manila were brought to life through consistent ‘show, don’t tell’ technique and the descriptions of Filipino cuisine especially were so vibrant. Gorgeous writing style.
The book immerses you in Filipino life through linguistic, cultural and religious references, weaving them in seamlessly. This is good and I do prefer books not to spoon-feed readers, but a balance could have been struck where significant historical context could have been ingrained to help all readers understand the depth of referenced cultures and beliefs. This doesn’t mean translating everything, but just weaving that essential background in so the reader understands the nuances of, for example, Chinese-Filipino values.
Now for the significant issues. The blurb highlights this house full of secrets and the paranormal, suggesting this will play a important and interesting part in the narrative – this expectation was unfortunately not lived up to. The magical realism aspects of this book had so much potential to engage with and enrich the storyline, but they ended up being on the side of what was essentially just the main character finding a romantic partner.
The book’s engagement with the more disturbing themes also didn't read too well for me. Media can and does explore difficult topics but it requires a lot of care. The characters' interactions with the topic of Celestina's abuse felt bizarre and tone-deaf. This could of course be highlighting how prevalent victim blaming is in society, but the narrative seemed to just take this as a given and little effort was made to indicate how this would negatively impact Celestina. The book being in third-person omniscient perspective could have showcased this well, but did not. Little was shed light on in this regard sadly.
All in all, I think the central issue is that this book lacks cohesiveness and an end goal. It’s titled Celestina’s House, but the house isn’t used to its full potential and Celestina doesn’t really engage meaningfully with or develop alongside it. Characters and plot events come and go, their meaningfulness to the story never realised. What was the significance of Verg being able to see people’s aura/light, why wasn’t this supernatural attribute engaged with beyond occasional mentions? In trying to be too mysterious, the book’s message got lost.
Overall, though a nicely written book with interesting underpinning themes it was executed in a way that honestly left me feeling like I had not read or gained something meaningful. This is nothing against the author as, like I mentioned in the opening, there are things she did really skilfully - the descriptive prose for example.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Celestina's House.
September 13, 2024
Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez is a poignant, character-driven novel that captures the essence of community, family, and the weight of personal history. The titular Celestina is a deeply layered character whose home becomes a refuge for those around her, both physically and emotionally. Gonzalez's prose is rich with cultural detail and atmospheric descriptions, drawing readers into the world of a small, tight-knit community. The novel’s exploration of loss, healing, and resilience is beautifully handled, with an underlying warmth that permeates even its most somber moments. A heartfelt read that lingers long after the final page.
July 3, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have not read a book based in the Phillipines before and I was surprised at the amount of Spanish, but really enjoyed the other dialects mentioned, as well as a nod to French language and English music. The vibrancy of the Phillopeno world was really portrayed well in food, beliefs, customs, religion, relationships and the importance of status. I really enjoyed being immersed in a new culture. The detail the author goes into when Josemaria was preparing the duck for Celestina was really good - I really felt like the author really knows, understands and appreciates the Phillopeno culture.
I found the beginning of the story really well written. The relationship between Antonio and Celestina is well depicted and disturbingly believable. The abortion scene is pretty graphic and made my stomach turn - clearly well written.
I immediately liked Verg and wanted him and Celestina to have a life together. He only had her interests at heart. I initially thought the Priest with no light was bad, but I'm not really sure if he actually was - was Verg already damaged from events leading up to his time with the Priest? We don't know.
I liked Johnny and hoped they would get back together after the 2 year trip. I wanted them to end up together even at the end! I could not get along with Josemaria - I couldn't imagine him in my mind and his character did not seem to fit what I imagine a restauranteur to be.
I have to also talk about Stella. She had a fairly minor role in the book, but she had an epically sad life. When she meets Celestina at the parking lot the atmosphere between the two is palpable and such a shame. I really felt for her Mum - she's probably the character I could most closely relate to.
My favourite line in the book is "the rain fell like the sky had ripped open". It was very apt, really good imagery for the scene and original.
I would definitely read more from Trinidad Gonzalez.
I found the beginning of the story really well written. The relationship between Antonio and Celestina is well depicted and disturbingly believable. The abortion scene is pretty graphic and made my stomach turn - clearly well written.
I immediately liked Verg and wanted him and Celestina to have a life together. He only had her interests at heart. I initially thought the Priest with no light was bad, but I'm not really sure if he actually was - was Verg already damaged from events leading up to his time with the Priest? We don't know.
I liked Johnny and hoped they would get back together after the 2 year trip. I wanted them to end up together even at the end! I could not get along with Josemaria - I couldn't imagine him in my mind and his character did not seem to fit what I imagine a restauranteur to be.
I have to also talk about Stella. She had a fairly minor role in the book, but she had an epically sad life. When she meets Celestina at the parking lot the atmosphere between the two is palpable and such a shame. I really felt for her Mum - she's probably the character I could most closely relate to.
My favourite line in the book is "the rain fell like the sky had ripped open". It was very apt, really good imagery for the scene and original.
I would definitely read more from Trinidad Gonzalez.
May 24, 2024
Celestina's House is a novel by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, whose blurb essentially boils down to the secrets of the house are the secrets of the heart. It narrates the story of a prominent family in Manila's pseudo-rich district spanning two or three generations with the mother, main lead Celestina & her possible lovers. What this book advertises itself to be is a story about a haunted house that is somehow linked to Celestina. Prima facie & 10 chapters into the book, I thought Celestina was going to die & the curse of it was going to make the house haunted, for any future tenants or renters are going to face the wrath of it.
The book fails to accomplish any of these tasks.
What I liked:
Firstly, I really liked the atmosphere the author creates around Manila, Philippines & the sprinkling of the language, the native language, the use of slangs, the native terms, I really appreciate that in a the book. It brought out a slight bit of a cultural angle. At the beginning, I enjoyed how the relationship with her parents was built up. Celestina's relationship with her mother is shown as aloof, not as close while her father has been shown, *spoiler alert*, as a predator. In the first few chapters, when this is done, even though it freaked me out, you can tell the red flags, you can see where the story is going, but there is this hope at the back of your head, this will lead to a proper plot. In those few chapters, I was, I will say invested as to what will happen & as predicted, the thing happens - for those limited chapters, the book has a good hook.
The cover is decent too.
Now the thing with this book that I did not like is so much that it far outweighs the pros of this book. Firstly, coming to the father & Celestina's character, even if you have to show some sort of abuse, familial abuse & how she was groomed & bred by the father, you do it so it has a consequence on your story ultimately. What this book could not achieve in the end was how it impacted Celestina. Her character comes out to be so boring, so bland I couldn't bear to hear her talking even. She has no substance, her past, her future, it's all very linear, there is no depth to her character & the trivial father event is treated so lightly, almost as a floating character of convenience, which really, really undermines the severity of what happened to Celestina as a kid.
Further to that point, the father makes a comeback in the final chapters of the book & it is of almost no consequence again. Why was this entire plot point in the book if you did not want to make a big deal out of it? To me, it felt more like an advertising piece or a marketing strategy, something sensational that would sell well on booktok, I guess, where you could sensationalize it with a catchy caption saying a "book where she is abused by her father" but then it amounts to nothing. And following this thread, ultimately reading this book, I kept wondering what is the main plot of this book? What is the theme? What is that thing that the author tries to achieve by writing this book? Either your book has a plot, either it has a good story, either the narration is very well done or it is a character-based story, Celestina's house is none of those things - that is my main problem. I do not actively want a story to be there in my book, but then at least the writing should be good. For example, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one of those books where it just follows one character, but the writing is so well done that you feel invested in the character. This book, you do not feel invested in a single character, let alone the main lead. Everybody is temporary, there are too many people & you do not feel interested in any one of them. I did not like how this book does not know what it is about. It tries to do too much and then ultimately it is not able to do anything.
Again, following the thread that I just mentioned, another thing about the characters is there are so many characters with so many useless backstories that we did not need. That time could have been cut out because it makes the novel unnecessarily long or it could have been given to Celestina so we understand her feelings and emotions better so we could be invested in her more. But all of that was pushed aside & we get some random person's circumcision scenes???! which.... why do I have to read that if it is not going to have any impact on your plot??? So this book, by the end, post the 60% mark, I must admit, I skimmed through it because it was not worth my time. I was very close to DNFing it. The only reason I did not give it a DNF or a 1 star, instead I went for 2 stars, are the reasons I mentioned above, that there are some redeeming qualities to the book. I do want to encourage more stories from Southeast Asia, more that talk about the culture & more about the native slang, though this book has none of that vibrant culture. So in that vein, I do want to encourage it plus I found the cover of this book to be extremely pretty, however, again, the cover has no consequence on the plot & vice versa. What does this cover signify? Usually you have a cover that will have small details but this just has some flowers & a snake. I mean, I get the snake but it doesn't make any sense. You would think that there would be a beautiful house with dragons and two towers on the cover because that is all the book talks about but then...
Also, someone in the Goodreads reviews wrote this very beautiful line in their review that this book was supposed to be about a haunted house and it turns out to just be about Celestina hopping around in Malina trying to find love - that just sums up the book. I do not want to see her love hopping especially when her love interests are so bland because she herself is so bland that her love interests seem worse. I do not remember even a single name of any love interest because they were just of no consequence. I could not bring myself to care about the guy she finally ended up with either. If only the romance was readable I would not have to complain about the book being so boring & lacking the haunted house aspect as promised but yeah, ultimately, nothing about this book will keep you hooked, it will intrigue you in the beginning, that I accept, only to eventually crash and burn from there.
Overall, this book is not worth your time. I believe it should have been heavily edited. I believe it should have been beta read and there should have been advanced reader copies. I do not think it should be published in what it is right now. It is very off-putting to read & I honestly felt like I wasted a lot of my time reading it.
The book fails to accomplish any of these tasks.
What I liked:
Firstly, I really liked the atmosphere the author creates around Manila, Philippines & the sprinkling of the language, the native language, the use of slangs, the native terms, I really appreciate that in a the book. It brought out a slight bit of a cultural angle. At the beginning, I enjoyed how the relationship with her parents was built up. Celestina's relationship with her mother is shown as aloof, not as close while her father has been shown, *spoiler alert*, as a predator. In the first few chapters, when this is done, even though it freaked me out, you can tell the red flags, you can see where the story is going, but there is this hope at the back of your head, this will lead to a proper plot. In those few chapters, I was, I will say invested as to what will happen & as predicted, the thing happens - for those limited chapters, the book has a good hook.
The cover is decent too.
Now the thing with this book that I did not like is so much that it far outweighs the pros of this book. Firstly, coming to the father & Celestina's character, even if you have to show some sort of abuse, familial abuse & how she was groomed & bred by the father, you do it so it has a consequence on your story ultimately. What this book could not achieve in the end was how it impacted Celestina. Her character comes out to be so boring, so bland I couldn't bear to hear her talking even. She has no substance, her past, her future, it's all very linear, there is no depth to her character & the trivial father event is treated so lightly, almost as a floating character of convenience, which really, really undermines the severity of what happened to Celestina as a kid.
Further to that point, the father makes a comeback in the final chapters of the book & it is of almost no consequence again. Why was this entire plot point in the book if you did not want to make a big deal out of it? To me, it felt more like an advertising piece or a marketing strategy, something sensational that would sell well on booktok, I guess, where you could sensationalize it with a catchy caption saying a "book where she is abused by her father" but then it amounts to nothing. And following this thread, ultimately reading this book, I kept wondering what is the main plot of this book? What is the theme? What is that thing that the author tries to achieve by writing this book? Either your book has a plot, either it has a good story, either the narration is very well done or it is a character-based story, Celestina's house is none of those things - that is my main problem. I do not actively want a story to be there in my book, but then at least the writing should be good. For example, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is one of those books where it just follows one character, but the writing is so well done that you feel invested in the character. This book, you do not feel invested in a single character, let alone the main lead. Everybody is temporary, there are too many people & you do not feel interested in any one of them. I did not like how this book does not know what it is about. It tries to do too much and then ultimately it is not able to do anything.
Again, following the thread that I just mentioned, another thing about the characters is there are so many characters with so many useless backstories that we did not need. That time could have been cut out because it makes the novel unnecessarily long or it could have been given to Celestina so we understand her feelings and emotions better so we could be invested in her more. But all of that was pushed aside & we get some random person's circumcision scenes???! which.... why do I have to read that if it is not going to have any impact on your plot??? So this book, by the end, post the 60% mark, I must admit, I skimmed through it because it was not worth my time. I was very close to DNFing it. The only reason I did not give it a DNF or a 1 star, instead I went for 2 stars, are the reasons I mentioned above, that there are some redeeming qualities to the book. I do want to encourage more stories from Southeast Asia, more that talk about the culture & more about the native slang, though this book has none of that vibrant culture. So in that vein, I do want to encourage it plus I found the cover of this book to be extremely pretty, however, again, the cover has no consequence on the plot & vice versa. What does this cover signify? Usually you have a cover that will have small details but this just has some flowers & a snake. I mean, I get the snake but it doesn't make any sense. You would think that there would be a beautiful house with dragons and two towers on the cover because that is all the book talks about but then...
Also, someone in the Goodreads reviews wrote this very beautiful line in their review that this book was supposed to be about a haunted house and it turns out to just be about Celestina hopping around in Malina trying to find love - that just sums up the book. I do not want to see her love hopping especially when her love interests are so bland because she herself is so bland that her love interests seem worse. I do not remember even a single name of any love interest because they were just of no consequence. I could not bring myself to care about the guy she finally ended up with either. If only the romance was readable I would not have to complain about the book being so boring & lacking the haunted house aspect as promised but yeah, ultimately, nothing about this book will keep you hooked, it will intrigue you in the beginning, that I accept, only to eventually crash and burn from there.
Overall, this book is not worth your time. I believe it should have been heavily edited. I believe it should have been beta read and there should have been advanced reader copies. I do not think it should be published in what it is right now. It is very off-putting to read & I honestly felt like I wasted a lot of my time reading it.
May 30, 2024
This book started out slow. I never thought I would finish it but I am glad I did. I received this as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. I thought it would be a simple tale of finding one's self within Manila. However, in the first few chapters, it proved to be a novel I will never forget.
It starts out with the innocence of young love which twists and turns into darkness. It's something I would never thought of picking up given its themes and topics. But, I'm glad the Pinoy Pride in me pushed me forward towards the request button. It was absolute madness from then on. The book was written so beautifully. The words and paragraphs were articulate and sweet. I can't write exactly how I feel but the lessons the novel imparted will never leave my mind. I must warn you, however, that this novel is not for the faint of heart. It will make you question the author's decision. It will frighten you. It will stir fear in your heart. But most importantly, it will remind of the reality that people face. Specifically, within the confines of Manila.
This book will divide many readers and will definitely be part of debates for decades. Cheers to the author.
It starts out with the innocence of young love which twists and turns into darkness. It's something I would never thought of picking up given its themes and topics. But, I'm glad the Pinoy Pride in me pushed me forward towards the request button. It was absolute madness from then on. The book was written so beautifully. The words and paragraphs were articulate and sweet. I can't write exactly how I feel but the lessons the novel imparted will never leave my mind. I must warn you, however, that this novel is not for the faint of heart. It will make you question the author's decision. It will frighten you. It will stir fear in your heart. But most importantly, it will remind of the reality that people face. Specifically, within the confines of Manila.
This book will divide many readers and will definitely be part of debates for decades. Cheers to the author.
October 16, 2024
I'm slightly aghast if this book is being published in it's current form. I have had this galley for a very long time, but the publishing date has been moved out, so it dropped down my TBR list until now, so perhaps I have a very early version? I don't know if that's possible, but this book is not ready.
When one of my children was in speech therapy, one of the activities they used to encourage sequencing etc was to get him to describe a set of images, one by one, saying anything he could about the contents of that card, then move on to the next. What it produced was a series, highly descriptive, full of detail, with a beginning, a few what nexts and an ending. No character building, except what they wore, what they looked like, what they were doing in that split second, and maybe an expression of some rather obvious emotion, perhaps a speech bubble. They would presumably build into a simple narrative arc, but they were not about storytelling, nuance, rising or falling action. We never left the clinic wondering what the characters were doing next.
That's what this book reminds me of. A sequence of stylised images.
What kept me reading was the luscious food and the fact that this is the first book I have read that is set in the Philippines. The author does a very good job of capturing a sense of place, but for me, little else.
The writing is naive, the dialogue is clunky, the characters are one dimensional, the threads are not pulled together in any way, the house, the apparent main character, is a big let down, the magical realism is corny.
My worst gripe about this book is the sense throughout that somehow this author has a warped impression of romance, and I'm not talking about the obviously repulsive father. She portrays a world where females are somehow responsible for the lack of control that men inherently possess, that beauty is the only virtue, that predatory behaviour is just par for the course. She is complicit in female, especially young female objectification in a 70s or 80s Harold Robbins prurient way. Ick.
There is no ending to this story. Fade to grey only works when you have made a point, and I cannot figure out what the point of this story is.
Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this. I would have fired it at the wall only I value my ereader too much.
Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for providing an eGalley for review purposes, as usual, honesty prevails.
When one of my children was in speech therapy, one of the activities they used to encourage sequencing etc was to get him to describe a set of images, one by one, saying anything he could about the contents of that card, then move on to the next. What it produced was a series, highly descriptive, full of detail, with a beginning, a few what nexts and an ending. No character building, except what they wore, what they looked like, what they were doing in that split second, and maybe an expression of some rather obvious emotion, perhaps a speech bubble. They would presumably build into a simple narrative arc, but they were not about storytelling, nuance, rising or falling action. We never left the clinic wondering what the characters were doing next.
That's what this book reminds me of. A sequence of stylised images.
What kept me reading was the luscious food and the fact that this is the first book I have read that is set in the Philippines. The author does a very good job of capturing a sense of place, but for me, little else.
The writing is naive, the dialogue is clunky, the characters are one dimensional, the threads are not pulled together in any way, the house, the apparent main character, is a big let down, the magical realism is corny.
My worst gripe about this book is the sense throughout that somehow this author has a warped impression of romance, and I'm not talking about the obviously repulsive father. She portrays a world where females are somehow responsible for the lack of control that men inherently possess, that beauty is the only virtue, that predatory behaviour is just par for the course. She is complicit in female, especially young female objectification in a 70s or 80s Harold Robbins prurient way. Ick.
There is no ending to this story. Fade to grey only works when you have made a point, and I cannot figure out what the point of this story is.
Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend this. I would have fired it at the wall only I value my ereader too much.
Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for providing an eGalley for review purposes, as usual, honesty prevails.
May 16, 2024
I really wanted to like this book as I had never read a book set in Philippines by a filipino author, but this simply didn't work for me.
The writing style made it clear that this is a debut novel, as there were many descriptions of clothes and conversations that could be taken out or improved to improve the readability. Also, maybe this is an arc problem and will be corrected in time for official publication, but there are plot holes that made me wonder if this was edited at all. So many instances where the narration would mention a family tradition or superstition as if we the readers already knew about them, but they had never been mentioned before. And in one moment Celestina is introduced to a character by someone else and they say something like "You already know X" but Celestina had never met this character before, they only heard of her by someone else.
The characters are flat, one dimensional and unlikable in the worst of ways: not because they were well round with flaws, but because they were written in a way that they had no redeeming quality. Celestina herself doesn't feel like a character, there is no strong progression from a traumatized teenager to the young woman she is by the end of the book. One moment she goes through a terrible experience and the other she is a twenty something vixen.
There were some decisions that in my opinion didn't serve the story at all. The random first person narration from the ghosts pov were unnecessary and clunky. The magical realism could have been taken out of the story and nothing of substance would have been lost. And yes, that includes the poor explanation and execution of Antonio's character.
The worst part of the novel for me was definitely Celestina's relationship with her father. This novel has a victim blaming tone that goes beyond her father being a terrible man and how the characters react to what happened between them. I won't say that was the author's intention, but more a lack of care when dealing with the subject. Their story is abruptly interrupted and so their last scene together doesn't feel cathartic, it feels empty.
I liked the city and food descriptions, the use of filipino culture and language (it was interesting for me to see how much it borrows from Spanish) and the folklore, but not even this was enough to save this novel for me, unfortunately.
The writing style made it clear that this is a debut novel, as there were many descriptions of clothes and conversations that could be taken out or improved to improve the readability. Also, maybe this is an arc problem and will be corrected in time for official publication, but there are plot holes that made me wonder if this was edited at all. So many instances where the narration would mention a family tradition or superstition as if we the readers already knew about them, but they had never been mentioned before. And in one moment Celestina is introduced to a character by someone else and they say something like "You already know X" but Celestina had never met this character before, they only heard of her by someone else.
The characters are flat, one dimensional and unlikable in the worst of ways: not because they were well round with flaws, but because they were written in a way that they had no redeeming quality. Celestina herself doesn't feel like a character, there is no strong progression from a traumatized teenager to the young woman she is by the end of the book. One moment she goes through a terrible experience and the other she is a twenty something vixen.
There were some decisions that in my opinion didn't serve the story at all. The random first person narration from the ghosts pov were unnecessary and clunky. The magical realism could have been taken out of the story and nothing of substance would have been lost. And yes, that includes the poor explanation and execution of Antonio's character.
The worst part of the novel for me was definitely Celestina's relationship with her father. This novel has a victim blaming tone that goes beyond her father being a terrible man and how the characters react to what happened between them. I won't say that was the author's intention, but more a lack of care when dealing with the subject. Their story is abruptly interrupted and so their last scene together doesn't feel cathartic, it feels empty.
I liked the city and food descriptions, the use of filipino culture and language (it was interesting for me to see how much it borrows from Spanish) and the folklore, but not even this was enough to save this novel for me, unfortunately.
September 15, 2024
BOOK: CELESTINA'S HOUSE
AUTHOR: CLARISSA TRINIDAD GONZALEZ
PUB DATE: OCTOBER 2O24
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
When you see books like this, you know you're ready for a book that will pack a punch, and this book delivered that. It pulled at my heartstrings, and it made me feel a lot of things.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
This book followed the life of Celestina Errantes from when she was born to adulthood. You might think, what was so interesting about her life? Unfortunately, she was sexually assaulted by someone she trusted the most, and she was not supported or helped through the trauma. Throughout the book, she tried to form substantial relationships, fall I'm love, but her past always stood in the way. Celestine was a character that broke my heart. On the surface, it looked like she had a lot when, in reality, she doesn't. But through that, she still tried to make something of her life. She still lived her doing what she loved best, and I loved that for her
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
My favorite part of the book is how the author was able to describe Filipino culture effortlessly. I was taken through so many places there, their food and superstitions, and even their history. I loved reading it. I liked that the author provided translation for the words I was not familiar with. The book also had a huge theme of magical realism and ghosts, and it was nice to read.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
The main part of the book was set in Celestina's house that she inherited from her grandparents. There, she lived a lot of people that later formed her family and lovers. My heart broke for her when she didn't get the love she wanted and deserved. But, that house had a lot of ghosts, including her aunt. They spiced the book a little bit. I liked reading about the lives of the people Celestina hung out with, too. They had their own POVs.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
When I finished this book, I wanted a different ending, but I understood the ending the author provided. It was feasible considering what Celestina had gone through. I liked this book although it was slow paced in some parts, it was worth it and I learned a lot. But, let me warn you, the most hateful characters are the ones that should have been lovable.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
You should definitely read this book.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
AUTHOR: CLARISSA TRINIDAD GONZALEZ
PUB DATE: OCTOBER 2O24
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
When you see books like this, you know you're ready for a book that will pack a punch, and this book delivered that. It pulled at my heartstrings, and it made me feel a lot of things.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
This book followed the life of Celestina Errantes from when she was born to adulthood. You might think, what was so interesting about her life? Unfortunately, she was sexually assaulted by someone she trusted the most, and she was not supported or helped through the trauma. Throughout the book, she tried to form substantial relationships, fall I'm love, but her past always stood in the way. Celestine was a character that broke my heart. On the surface, it looked like she had a lot when, in reality, she doesn't. But through that, she still tried to make something of her life. She still lived her doing what she loved best, and I loved that for her
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
My favorite part of the book is how the author was able to describe Filipino culture effortlessly. I was taken through so many places there, their food and superstitions, and even their history. I loved reading it. I liked that the author provided translation for the words I was not familiar with. The book also had a huge theme of magical realism and ghosts, and it was nice to read.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
The main part of the book was set in Celestina's house that she inherited from her grandparents. There, she lived a lot of people that later formed her family and lovers. My heart broke for her when she didn't get the love she wanted and deserved. But, that house had a lot of ghosts, including her aunt. They spiced the book a little bit. I liked reading about the lives of the people Celestina hung out with, too. They had their own POVs.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
When I finished this book, I wanted a different ending, but I understood the ending the author provided. It was feasible considering what Celestina had gone through. I liked this book although it was slow paced in some parts, it was worth it and I learned a lot. But, let me warn you, the most hateful characters are the ones that should have been lovable.
🧍🏻♀️🇵🇭
You should definitely read this book.
🇵🇭🧍🏻♀️
September 4, 2024
This one was tough for me. I want to start this by saying if you are a victim of sexual assault, child abuse, and/or abortion then read with caution as these are all depicted in the book, and I wish someone had warned me because I was caught off guard in a way that left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. Now, I’m pretty neutral towards the idea of putting trigger warnings in the front of your book, but I think in the case of this book they would be definitely useful as this graphic content isn’t forewarned by the premise of the book, and catching people off guard with such intense subject matter could end up being to this book’s detriment.
Moving past that, I did really enjoy this book until I didn’t. I really liked how deeply the author developed the characters. I’m a very character driven reader so being able to understand them and their motivations really enriched my reading experience. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to the concept of a haunting story as it is described. There are haunting elements throughout, but they are only ever really small asides and that concept is all but nonexistent by the last third of the book. I think this book would have been better served without them, and just focused on Celestina and her story and her development throughout the duration of the book. Or, more thoroughly develop the haunting element, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
I’ll stop being a Negative Nancy and say that I adored the writing, and I will be picking up this author’s books in the future as well. Their descriptions of the Philippines were so rich it felt like I was there. This book was so Filipino, I loved that! It is very clear this author has a profound love and appreciation for Filipino culture as evidenced by this book. Overall, I thought it was alright, but the story itself left me a little unsatisfied. I’m excited to read more from this author in the future, though!
Thanks to NetGalley & Dundurn Press for the eARC!
Moving past that, I did really enjoy this book until I didn’t. I really liked how deeply the author developed the characters. I’m a very character driven reader so being able to understand them and their motivations really enriched my reading experience. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to the concept of a haunting story as it is described. There are haunting elements throughout, but they are only ever really small asides and that concept is all but nonexistent by the last third of the book. I think this book would have been better served without them, and just focused on Celestina and her story and her development throughout the duration of the book. Or, more thoroughly develop the haunting element, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
I’ll stop being a Negative Nancy and say that I adored the writing, and I will be picking up this author’s books in the future as well. Their descriptions of the Philippines were so rich it felt like I was there. This book was so Filipino, I loved that! It is very clear this author has a profound love and appreciation for Filipino culture as evidenced by this book. Overall, I thought it was alright, but the story itself left me a little unsatisfied. I’m excited to read more from this author in the future, though!
Thanks to NetGalley & Dundurn Press for the eARC!
May 23, 2024
Celestina’s House is the story of Celestina adjusting to adulthood after a traumatizing incident from her teenage years and her journey in finding love and community. I found myself really rooting for her and wanted her to find those meaningful connections.
Unfortunately few of the characters are well-rounded enough to really understand why they do what they do (Celestina included). Relationships come to an end abruptly and we see very little emotion, growth, or personality in the characters.
The author has a very romantic way of writing which I found nice and the reason I give it 2 stars and not 1 (describing a letter delivered as the envelope’s journey, often switching to an observer’s thoughts, the way someone prepares food) but sometimes it can be hard to tell what is important and what is not. Often pronouns are used for long stretches in place of names which also makes it challenging to follow which characters are being referred to.
The book’s synopsis and title no not do the book justice either as it implies that the house itself and the spiritual elements will play a much larger role in the story than the do. If you’re looking for a ghosty story this is not it. The spirits that reside in Celestina’s house are mentioned briefly every few chapters but the book would honestly be no different if it were omitted.
Unfortunately few of the characters are well-rounded enough to really understand why they do what they do (Celestina included). Relationships come to an end abruptly and we see very little emotion, growth, or personality in the characters.
The author has a very romantic way of writing which I found nice and the reason I give it 2 stars and not 1 (describing a letter delivered as the envelope’s journey, often switching to an observer’s thoughts, the way someone prepares food) but sometimes it can be hard to tell what is important and what is not. Often pronouns are used for long stretches in place of names which also makes it challenging to follow which characters are being referred to.
The book’s synopsis and title no not do the book justice either as it implies that the house itself and the spiritual elements will play a much larger role in the story than the do. If you’re looking for a ghosty story this is not it. The spirits that reside in Celestina’s house are mentioned briefly every few chapters but the book would honestly be no different if it were omitted.
August 6, 2024
This is a book with several elements. There are spirits of the dead who talk to the living and some of the dark side of Filipino culture: incest, illegal abortion, and a barbaric preteen circumcision.
One quote from the blurb: " The House of the Spirits meets Mexican Gothic in a tale of love and betrayal, belonging and exile, and the supernatural forces that pervade life in the Philippines."
There are also mouth watering descriptions of Filipino food.
The book was written by a Filipino-Canadian who grew up in the Philippines. It is narrated by Celestina Errantes, who is the main character in the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Filipino culture. The incidents of incest, abortion and circumcision are covered with brief descriptions. The after effects of these incidents are a major part of this book.
Two quotes:
Celestina's grandma: "Let swerte flow into your house like water,' her grandma had said. Indeed, Celestina was grateful that good luck had been visiting her lately."
Food: "A large table was covered with an island-style feast featuring spicy pork satays, slivers of green mango with shrimp paste, impeccably crisp shrimp and cabbage fritters. and grilled chicken inasal, golden and redolent with lemongrass."
I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded up.
Thanks to Dundurn Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
One quote from the blurb: " The House of the Spirits meets Mexican Gothic in a tale of love and betrayal, belonging and exile, and the supernatural forces that pervade life in the Philippines."
There are also mouth watering descriptions of Filipino food.
The book was written by a Filipino-Canadian who grew up in the Philippines. It is narrated by Celestina Errantes, who is the main character in the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Filipino culture. The incidents of incest, abortion and circumcision are covered with brief descriptions. The after effects of these incidents are a major part of this book.
Two quotes:
Celestina's grandma: "Let swerte flow into your house like water,' her grandma had said. Indeed, Celestina was grateful that good luck had been visiting her lately."
Food: "A large table was covered with an island-style feast featuring spicy pork satays, slivers of green mango with shrimp paste, impeccably crisp shrimp and cabbage fritters. and grilled chicken inasal, golden and redolent with lemongrass."
I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded up.
Thanks to Dundurn Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
August 18, 2024
High-born Philippina, Stella Sytanco, was disinherited from the family fortune for marrying a man her father did not choose. She and her husband, the famous rogue storyteller and graphic novelist, had a daughter, Celestina. While Stella became a banker, their daughter bonded with her father, and worked in his office when she was fifteen. But her father turned out to be a man possessed by demons, and he stole Celestina's innocence, and was the cause of her abortion.
At 25 Celestina turns a new page-her grandfather gives her the Dragongate Tower, a round building housing several apartments. It is haunted by the spirit of her great-aunt who died by violence. While men are drawn to Celestina for her beauty, she shuns them, except when she wants a short respite from her loneliness. She let two men in her life but the relationships failed without her telling them why. The third man just might be the one, but she knows that both she and he "must put their houses in order" before she is able to surrender her heart and soul.
This novel gives readers a taste of Philippine history, cultures and communities, as well as the foods of the various neighborhoods. It is a present day gothic romance featuring a literal princess shut in a tower who can only escape when she takes matters into her own hands. It ends on a glimmer of hope and this stays with you long after the book ends.
At 25 Celestina turns a new page-her grandfather gives her the Dragongate Tower, a round building housing several apartments. It is haunted by the spirit of her great-aunt who died by violence. While men are drawn to Celestina for her beauty, she shuns them, except when she wants a short respite from her loneliness. She let two men in her life but the relationships failed without her telling them why. The third man just might be the one, but she knows that both she and he "must put their houses in order" before she is able to surrender her heart and soul.
This novel gives readers a taste of Philippine history, cultures and communities, as well as the foods of the various neighborhoods. It is a present day gothic romance featuring a literal princess shut in a tower who can only escape when she takes matters into her own hands. It ends on a glimmer of hope and this stays with you long after the book ends.
August 28, 2024
I enjoyed Celestina’s House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez. In this fictional tome, set in the Philippines, we learn about “malas”. Malas are things that bring bad fortune to your home and family. Celestina’s mother and grandmother are superstitious and wary of anything that could potentially bring “malas” to the family.
The titular character, Celestina, is traversing this world of “malas” and “buenos” when she deals with early abuse by her father. She grows up well ahead of her time and ultimately ends up inheriting a home “Celestina’s House” from her grandparents at a young age. Strange things begin happening to her once she visits this home and the story progresses with her looking for love while dealing with something eerie within her new home.
It took me a little while to warm up to this book as it deals with heavy topics such as molestation, subjugation, superstitions, etc. I did enjoy learning a little more about Philippine culture and picked up a few vocabulary words via this book.
Overall, I think the book could have been more evenly spaced out in terms of the plot, which felt choppy at times (why I gave 3 stars), but it was an interesting read - different from other books I have read this year, yet somehow reminiscent of the Mexican Gothic and the Haunting of Alejandra.
The titular character, Celestina, is traversing this world of “malas” and “buenos” when she deals with early abuse by her father. She grows up well ahead of her time and ultimately ends up inheriting a home “Celestina’s House” from her grandparents at a young age. Strange things begin happening to her once she visits this home and the story progresses with her looking for love while dealing with something eerie within her new home.
It took me a little while to warm up to this book as it deals with heavy topics such as molestation, subjugation, superstitions, etc. I did enjoy learning a little more about Philippine culture and picked up a few vocabulary words via this book.
Overall, I think the book could have been more evenly spaced out in terms of the plot, which felt choppy at times (why I gave 3 stars), but it was an interesting read - different from other books I have read this year, yet somehow reminiscent of the Mexican Gothic and the Haunting of Alejandra.
July 20, 2024
Celestina's House
by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez had potential with ghosts and internal demons however plot points never felt fully realized and the characters were not relatable. I never really liked any of the characters, many are selfish and unkind.
This novel is a mix of Filipino culture, myths and superstitions interwoven with real life drama. I was disturbed by the handling of the father/daughter relationship.
I found the narrative excessive and did not advance the plot, including characters that were introduced and then never seen again. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez had potential with ghosts and internal demons however plot points never felt fully realized and the characters were not relatable. I never really liked any of the characters, many are selfish and unkind. This novel is a mix of Filipino culture, myths and superstitions interwoven with real life drama. I was disturbed by the handling of the father/daughter relationship.
I found the narrative excessive and did not advance the plot, including characters that were introduced and then never seen again. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 15, 2024
Read as an ARC kindly provided by the author, publisher, and netgalley.
I have never been to the philippines nor read anything set there. I was interested to learn about filippino culture.
The descriptions of Philippine life, their myths, superstitions, and the supernatural side were, I thought, well done. There were many full descriptions of different foods and drinks suggesting a fiIippino love of good food, though some descriptions turned me off ever wanting to try some of the dishes. I liked the main character, Celestina, who, after a life changing experience in her teens, left her broken and trying to find her identity. The writing style was different, with narration coming from different points of view (including 2 ghosts)!
What I hated was the way women were portrayed and treated. There were several scenes that left a very bad taste in my mouth!! Celestina's relationship with her father was just gross, and I didn't like the victim blaming from her father. Mother and JoseMaria. At times, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but on the whole, I'm glad I did.
I have never been to the philippines nor read anything set there. I was interested to learn about filippino culture.
The descriptions of Philippine life, their myths, superstitions, and the supernatural side were, I thought, well done. There were many full descriptions of different foods and drinks suggesting a fiIippino love of good food, though some descriptions turned me off ever wanting to try some of the dishes. I liked the main character, Celestina, who, after a life changing experience in her teens, left her broken and trying to find her identity. The writing style was different, with narration coming from different points of view (including 2 ghosts)!
What I hated was the way women were portrayed and treated. There were several scenes that left a very bad taste in my mouth!! Celestina's relationship with her father was just gross, and I didn't like the victim blaming from her father. Mother and JoseMaria. At times, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it, but on the whole, I'm glad I did.
July 10, 2024
I enjoyed reading Celestina's House! I was looking forward to it as it perfectly fits my reading goal (to read 40 books by authors of different nationalities). I had never read a book by a Filipino, so this was a nice first.
Celestina's mother chose love, but that choice leads to a lot of unhappiness in both their lives. Her father causes them both a lot of trauma due to which Celestina is incapable of normal relationships. Celestina's constant quest for peace of mind is heartbreaking. Trying to find happiness in a cursed house, in relationships that aren't meant to be... Trying to fill up the void within yourself. I think it's very relatable for some people. It is very well done.
Sometimes the dialogues didn't feel a 100% natural, but what I did enjoy a lot were the descriptions of Manila, its nightlife and Filipino society in general. Even though I have never been there, I felt like I could picture it. It made me want to travel.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundrum publishing for the ARC
Celestina's mother chose love, but that choice leads to a lot of unhappiness in both their lives. Her father causes them both a lot of trauma due to which Celestina is incapable of normal relationships. Celestina's constant quest for peace of mind is heartbreaking. Trying to find happiness in a cursed house, in relationships that aren't meant to be... Trying to fill up the void within yourself. I think it's very relatable for some people. It is very well done.
Sometimes the dialogues didn't feel a 100% natural, but what I did enjoy a lot were the descriptions of Manila, its nightlife and Filipino society in general. Even though I have never been there, I felt like I could picture it. It made me want to travel.
Thank you NetGalley and Dundrum publishing for the ARC
September 20, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion💜
Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez is a novel that's a bit difficult to categorize. It's sort of a family saga but the focus is on one character, the titular Celestina. It also has magical realism elements but it could be considered a plotless slice-of-life book too if it fit the conventions of that genre better. It's written by a Filipino author from Canada which made me excited as I can't say I've read too many books from the Philippines so far but I'm definitely planning on changing that.
The atmosphere is amazing right from the beginning, it's sinister, dark, and has a lyrical sadness to it.
It made me think about why I don't read family sagas anymore when I'm obsessed with family lore and personal mythology. These are two of the topics I think about the most regarding my own life so why don't I read fiction about it? I need to try more, especially from outside Europe and the US.
I want to acknowledge that this novel is currently rated pretty low here on Goodreads and some of the criticism is scathing but I'm totally baffled as to why.
I mean, it is written in a very melodramatic style, a bit like a soap opera but I've seen this a lot from magical realism and family sagas and wasn't bothered by it at all. If anything, the style was pleasant to read to me.
There also isn't much story, it is basically just Celestina's life story who comes from a Chinese-Filipino family with a lot of dark history and we can observe how that manifests in her life. I don't recommend this if you need a clear, fast-moving plot.
There is a traumatic experience that happens to Celestina quite early on in the book (definitely look up trigger warnings). It's not fun to read about it but I thought the way it was done was well thought out on the author's part. It clearly informs Celestina's personality and choices throughout the book and fits into the overarching theme of the family being cursed.
I loved the descriptions of Manila, food, and superstitions! This was probably my favorite aspect of the book. The city comes alive very beautifully on the pages and I enjoy food descriptions in general (though reading about balut was pretty rough).
Apparently, however, there are cultural inaccuracies that were pointed out by Chinese-Filipino readers but I can't comment on these, just keep them in mind while reading.
A weird thing for me was how difficult it was to pinpoint when exactly this book took place. For a while, I thought it was historical and the setting was maybe between the world wars or something. Then some of the mentioned technology made me think it was the 90s or the early 2000s but I'm honestly not sure.
Also, another point of frustration might be that the men Celestina gets involved with just keep getting worse and sometimes it's difficult to stomach.
But all in all, I enjoyed reading this even if the ending was a bit abrupt. I tried not to scrutinize too deeply what the point of this story was and just went with the flow, soaking up the atmosphere. If that fits your reading style, this might just work for you too.
Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez is a novel that's a bit difficult to categorize. It's sort of a family saga but the focus is on one character, the titular Celestina. It also has magical realism elements but it could be considered a plotless slice-of-life book too if it fit the conventions of that genre better. It's written by a Filipino author from Canada which made me excited as I can't say I've read too many books from the Philippines so far but I'm definitely planning on changing that.
The atmosphere is amazing right from the beginning, it's sinister, dark, and has a lyrical sadness to it.
It made me think about why I don't read family sagas anymore when I'm obsessed with family lore and personal mythology. These are two of the topics I think about the most regarding my own life so why don't I read fiction about it? I need to try more, especially from outside Europe and the US.
I want to acknowledge that this novel is currently rated pretty low here on Goodreads and some of the criticism is scathing but I'm totally baffled as to why.
I mean, it is written in a very melodramatic style, a bit like a soap opera but I've seen this a lot from magical realism and family sagas and wasn't bothered by it at all. If anything, the style was pleasant to read to me.
There also isn't much story, it is basically just Celestina's life story who comes from a Chinese-Filipino family with a lot of dark history and we can observe how that manifests in her life. I don't recommend this if you need a clear, fast-moving plot.
There is a traumatic experience that happens to Celestina quite early on in the book (definitely look up trigger warnings). It's not fun to read about it but I thought the way it was done was well thought out on the author's part. It clearly informs Celestina's personality and choices throughout the book and fits into the overarching theme of the family being cursed.
I loved the descriptions of Manila, food, and superstitions! This was probably my favorite aspect of the book. The city comes alive very beautifully on the pages and I enjoy food descriptions in general (though reading about balut was pretty rough).
Apparently, however, there are cultural inaccuracies that were pointed out by Chinese-Filipino readers but I can't comment on these, just keep them in mind while reading.
A weird thing for me was how difficult it was to pinpoint when exactly this book took place. For a while, I thought it was historical and the setting was maybe between the world wars or something. Then some of the mentioned technology made me think it was the 90s or the early 2000s but I'm honestly not sure.
Also, another point of frustration might be that the men Celestina gets involved with just keep getting worse and sometimes it's difficult to stomach.
But all in all, I enjoyed reading this even if the ending was a bit abrupt. I tried not to scrutinize too deeply what the point of this story was and just went with the flow, soaking up the atmosphere. If that fits your reading style, this might just work for you too.
October 18, 2024
3.5 stars but I rounded up.
This is very much a modern, literary gothic. It’s not magical realism and it’s not a haunted house story though it does have supernatural elements. I really think the promo focused much to much on the house of spirits Celestina moves in to when this story is much more about Celestina and how she moves through the world than on her experience in the house.
Celestina experiences betrayal and horror in her teenage years (trigger warning for SA) and it destroys her relationship with her family and her sense of self. The book explores Celestina’s attempts to create an identity and a home for herself in a world that only values her beauty. The book is very atmospheric with gorgeous depictions of the Philippines, and especially its food and culture.
Unfortunately, the narrative is choppy and clunky and for all the beautiful language and individual scenes, it’s just not cohesive. A bunch of beautiful ideas but not knitted together. But I know it’s a book that will stay on my mind.
This is very much a modern, literary gothic. It’s not magical realism and it’s not a haunted house story though it does have supernatural elements. I really think the promo focused much to much on the house of spirits Celestina moves in to when this story is much more about Celestina and how she moves through the world than on her experience in the house.
Celestina experiences betrayal and horror in her teenage years (trigger warning for SA) and it destroys her relationship with her family and her sense of self. The book explores Celestina’s attempts to create an identity and a home for herself in a world that only values her beauty. The book is very atmospheric with gorgeous depictions of the Philippines, and especially its food and culture.
Unfortunately, the narrative is choppy and clunky and for all the beautiful language and individual scenes, it’s just not cohesive. A bunch of beautiful ideas but not knitted together. But I know it’s a book that will stay on my mind.
June 3, 2024
Thank you NetGalley, Dundurn Press and Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez for allowing me to read the ARC of "Celestina's House" in exchange for an honest review.
Although I did really like the writing style of the author and the atmosphere set throughout the book, there was always something missing for me, the characters lacking a certain depth which was very unfortunate considering the events and stories of the characters.
I did like to have a book set in the Philippiness, this was something I throughout enjoyed as well, but my expectations where not met, but that might also be because what this book advertises ( haunted house, spirits, curses etc) is not really met or explored enough for me.
It does pain me to give a two star rating because I try to avoid them as much as possible especially for debut authors, but I did sincerely had a hard time even though it is clear as day that the author does possess the necessary skill and the story and book had a lot of potential.
Although I did really like the writing style of the author and the atmosphere set throughout the book, there was always something missing for me, the characters lacking a certain depth which was very unfortunate considering the events and stories of the characters.
I did like to have a book set in the Philippiness, this was something I throughout enjoyed as well, but my expectations where not met, but that might also be because what this book advertises ( haunted house, spirits, curses etc) is not really met or explored enough for me.
It does pain me to give a two star rating because I try to avoid them as much as possible especially for debut authors, but I did sincerely had a hard time even though it is clear as day that the author does possess the necessary skill and the story and book had a lot of potential.
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